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Blood sugar test - blood

Definition

A blood glucose test measures the amount of a sugar called glucose in a sample of your blood.

Glucose is a major source of energy for most cells of the body, including brain cells. Carbohydrates are found in fruit, cereal, bread, pasta, and rice. They are quickly turned into glucose in your body. This raises your blood glucose level.

Children age 10 and older who are overweight and have at least 2 of the risk factors listed above should be tested for type 2 diabetes every 3 years, even if they have no symptoms.

Normal Results

If you had a fasting blood glucose test, a level between 70 and 100 mg/dL is considered normal.

If you had a random blood glucose test, a normal result depends on when you last ate. Most of the time, the blood glucose level will be below 125 mg/dL.

The examples above show the common measurements for results of these tests. Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. Some labs use different measurements or may test different specimens. Talk to your doctor about the meaning of your specific test results.

What Abnormal Results Mean

If you had a fasting blood glucose test:

A level of 100 to 125 mg/dL means you have impaired fasting glucose, a type of prediabetes. This increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

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